Attendees will set the agenda at our second participant-driven conference on Saturday, March 3, 2018 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM New York Law School – 185 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013 Join the Historic Districts Council for our Participant-Driven Preservation Conference: Open to the Public ! This day-long Conference will dive into a range of […]

Feb.21, 6:30-9:oo p.m. Please join us for trivia night in SoHo. Prizes will be awarded to the top teams! FREE- Space is limited, registration is required REGISTER What do you need? At least 1 team member with an iPhone (iOS 10.0+) Urban Archive App (download here) Schedule 6:30 – 7:00pm: Registration 7:00 – 8:00pm: Trivia! […]

~These six groups from all five boroughs will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy over a yearlong period~ Six to Celebrate annually identifies six historic NYC neighborhoods that merit preservation. These will be priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period. Arthur Avenue, The Bronx Arthur Avenue, the long-time home of The […]

Preservationists Thrilled East New York’s Empire State Dairy Landmarked, Say More Needs Saving by Craig Hubert East New York is “an area whose history is profoundly underserved by official recognition and greatly at risk from the City’s plan,” Simeon Bankoff, executive director of preservation advocacy group Historic Districts Council, told Brownstoner, referring to the recent rezoning. “We […]

Historic preservation as both a strategy and as a philosophy is under attack as never before. Although community advocates have achieved some big successes in recent years by gaining long-sought landmark designations and thwarting (or at least modifying) destructive proposals to historic buildings, the Real Estate Board of New York (“REBNY”), the principal lobbyist for […]

Toward Accessible Historic Streetscapes Prepared for the Historic Districts Council Belgian block streets are still found in every corner of New York, sometimes paving an entire street or other times, only being revealed by some pavement which has worn off, revealing the roadbeds of the past. These streets are found both inside and outside of […]

HDC now has a Six to Celebrate app! All the amazing information in the walking tour brochures is now available right on your phone (or tablet). You can learn about the history of each Six to Celebrate neighborhood along with additional information about specific sites within each neighborhood. Now all you have to do is […]

Our brand new report examines affordable housing and historic districting for the first time. (Read More) Affordable housing dominates New York City’s public policy discourse. And for years, it’s been used as a tool to attack historic preservation efforts. Until now. The Historic Districts Council engaged an independent housing and planning consultant to analyze the […]

Learn how historic preservation creates jobs, drives tourism, and supports local economies across NYC. Preserving historic buildings and neighborhoods is good for New York City. Most New Yorkers believe this to be true in their hearts, but it is sometimes helpful to have the facts to back it up. In response, the Historic Districts Council created a series […]

Some assume that all unions oppose historic preservation. But nothing could be further from the truth. Historic preservation creates high-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. That’s just one of the many reasons that the Bricklayers Union chose to endorse our efforts in January of 2016. And it’s only the beginning. We‘ve spent the years reaching […]

Latest Updates From HDC

HDC now has a Six to Celebrate app! All the amazing information in the walking tour brochures is now available right on your phone (or tablet). You can learn about the history of each Six to Celebrate neighborhood along with additional information about specific sites within each neighborhood. Now all you have to do is […]

New York is a living city which grows, shifts and even moves around. Encouraging sustainable, appropriate growth and investment in the city is a principal concern of HDC LEARN MORE

Strengthening Preservation

Since 1971, HDC has been a vital force helping to protect historic neighborhoods and buildings throughout the five boroughs. HDC analyzes proposals affecting historic neighborhoods and takes action to ensure they are preserved and enhanced. LEARN MORE

Neighborhood Partners

HDC works with a constituency of over 500 neighborhood-based organizations to create an educated, active community of preservationists engaged in protecting and enhancing New York City’s irreplaceable built and cultural heritage. LEARN MORE

About Us

The Historic Districts Council (HDC) is the advocate for all of New York City's historic neighborhoods. HDC is the only organization in New York that works directly with people who care about our city's historic neighborhoods and buildings. We represent a constituency of over 500 local community organizations.